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Bookworms unite for National Book Month

Ancient civilizations who used tree bark and stone to tell stories would have never had the notion that books as they knew them would be mass-produced on a printing press ages later.

It is doubtful that those modern book publishers from the early 13th century would have had a clue that their new invention would later evolve into a device where the words and pictures seemingly appear out of the air.

Throughout time, books have been a mainstay -- a source of information and a playground for the imagination.

Books provide an opportunity to visit exotic locations without needing to pack a bag or obtain a passport. They offer travel and adventure to mythical places without leaving the home.

"Reading can take you any place you want to go," said kindergarten teacher Lynnette Albertson. "Appreciating an author's craft is like a painting with words. Each word is like a brush stroke of a painting."

"With reading, you've got to put something into it," said No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille, comparing the way television or a movie comes at the viewer. "It's not coming at you. You have to go into it, and it trains the brain differently."

DeMille has written more than 20 thriller novels. In his most recent book, "The Quest," his version of the search for the Holy Grail, he takes readers into the jungles of Ethiopia for one of history's greatest mysteries.

"You've got to think about it. You've got to use your imagination to create what the author is telling you about," DeMille said.

October is National Book Month. All that is needed is an open mind and an open book.

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